Gianluca Luisi has recorded for us numerous times, releasing many recordings such as: Bachâs Partitas (2 CDs, 1, 2), a disc of transcriptions (unedited and still incomplete), Chopinâs 4 Scherzos + Polonaise op. 53, Mozartâs late Sonatas (2 CDs with the same recording taken from two different mics. [Neumann mics., and AKG mics.), 1 CD with Lisztâs music (unedited).
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Luisiâs recent success, which most probably began with a letter I sent to Naxos in 2005, has culminated in a contract with the international label for the recording of two CD's (one of them dedicated to Liszt) which will be released in Summer 2009.

Finally, we have just completed the booklet for the cd demo. I'm here pasting the entire text that will be printed inside the booklet. The text has been written by "four hands": Gianluca Luisi and me (for the part: History of the label). It represents, with some clarity I hope, the fundamental points of the OnClassical philosophy.

An online label for audiophilesOnClassical offers recordings of highest quality guaranteed by the combination of experience in acoustic technology and of musical artistry. Each detail regarding the singling out of artists, locations and musical instruments and the choice of placement of the recording equipment is studied carefully, and nothing is left to chance. The recordings which we obtain with quasi maniacal care, allow one not only to discern the exact nature of a given musical instrument, but also the finest details of its mechanical parts; the very low as well as the most rapid sonorities, and those ambient corners which tend to amplify certain frequencies and ennoble the colour of the final audio. The acquisition of the sound and its successive mixing is not the result of a casual or imaginary placement of the listener, but is reproduced as one would hear it if he were in the middle of a musical ensemble, or standing in place of the musician in the case of a solo performance. Furthermore, the recordings exploit the maximum extension and the exact instrumental sound depth. This means that given the artist, the accompaniment, and the repertoire, a decision is made to make use of the most suitable environment, instruments and equipment. For OnClassical it is important to create a good rapport between technician and musician. This practice, combined with the artistic sensibility of OnClassical make recording friendly and relaxed. Extraordinary results can be achieved when, together, the artist and the sound technician create the right blend of music and emotions. The important work of selection which we have spoken of here culminates in an absolute naturalness in recordings that gives the listener the sense of being present at the performance; with the extra bonus of being able to capture those nuances which would otherwise go unnoticed even for the most attentive ear. Thus, in a sense, one is able to participate each time at a unique and unrepeatable event, more like a live performance than a recording.

History of the labelOnClassical began in 2003 as the first Italian independent label for the distribution of classical music on the internet. It was also one of the world's pioneers in the utilization of the then new Creative Commons licence. OnClassical believes in the accuracy of the microphone take and the naturalness of the resulting sound achieved without any kind of manipulation. The decision on the ultimate sound quality is always made before the recording begins, and never afterwards. This philosophy of OnClassical is carried into the realization of all the various production phases: starting from the choice of musicians, the recording venue, the instruments and equipment, and deciding where these will be positioned. It also includes the phases of recording, mixing, and mastering, and the publication and distribution of the musical product on internet within a frame of absolute prestige. Amongst the first artists to believe in our project are some first-award-winners of major international competitions, such as Gianluca Luisi (Bach at SaarbrÃ¯Â¿Â½cken), Roberto Plano (Cleveland and Van Cliburn), Maurizio Baglini, Aleksandra Mikulska (Chopin at Warsaw), and Luca Fanfoni (Paganini); just to mention a few. The careful selection of recordings included in our latest version of the site has enhanced onclassical.com even more and turned it into a nook for audiophiles; the only one of its kind for its quality in recording and performances.

I am now completing the editing for the OnClassical demo: a CD printed in 1,000 copies that will be distributed at the next Festival della Creatività. I have been invited - as founder of OnClassical - to participate as a speaker at the festival, with the QuiFree association (which shares knowledge). OnClassical is actually a partner of QuiFree and these CDs will be given as gadgets.

I have chosen pieces that are most representative of and the best recording for each instrument. Therefore, this CD will contain pieces that are currently included in recordings found at onclassical.com, and other pieces which I have recorded for other (traditional) record houses.

The choice of the egg as the main image on the cover is somewhat emblematic and enigmatic at the same time: first of all its colours are those of onclassical.com, and besides this, I simply find it humourous; and this might be a good way - and maybe a little provocative - to represent my idea of the site and its recordings.

I am thinking of a way to make the audio material free to all (maybe via the Internet Archive). By the way: you will be happy to know that many titles of our catalogue are already present on the Internet Archive (this URL: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=onclassical and that you may now download part of it in OGG vorbis files. Of course all of you may upload a webpage including our free previews (MP3 files)!

Marco Tezza has just uploaded his recent video of the Olimpic Theatre concert on YouTube. In the video he plays Schumann's Aufschwung from PhantasiestÃ¼cke Op. 12. This was the first encore he played after an over-2-hour long concert. OnClassical was officially invited at the event with its microphones.

We remind you that we have recorded the (double and) unedited album of the complete (including 70 pieces!) Album fÃ¼r die Jugend (Album for the Young) op. 68 now available at: onclassical.com. Enjoy!

Starting September all our PDF files of sheet music books are now free!

Please note that you may now download 2 .pdf files for free, although we encourage you to subscribe to have access to all our files with no download-limits.

As subscriber you may also download all .zip files which contain complete books in high definition (400 dpi).

Thanks to the association, together with classicaland.com, the subscription hereby offered becomes a powerful vehicle of culture at cost price (this means that you may have a sheet music page for less than 0.0025 euro cents!!!). There are no other websites (even free) on the internet that offer sheet music with this same quality!